What made you want to go into coaching high school football?
"I'm a local guy, I went to Oxon Hill High School and always wanted to give back. As I came out college, I knew I wanted to work with kids. I worked as a counselor before I started teaching, helping at-risk youth. I actually swung by to visit one of my old high school coaches one afternoon that first year, and he was like, 'Hey man, can you work with these guys for me for the day?' I did and the next day he called me and said the kids asked if I could come back. And that was 29 years ago."
What excites you most in going to work every day?
"The challenge of trying to win a state championship. It's very difficult. I'm also the athletic director at our school so I have the opportunity to monitor, work with and help kids from other sports, so that's always a positive. What excites me is getting our teams to the top and getting kids into schools."
What's been one of your proudest moments since coaching at Eleanor Roosevelt?
"I would say being invited to one of my player's baby showers. Another was being invited to one of my player's weddings. I'm proud that they felt like I really helped in their development, that they felt highly enough of me to invite me to their weddings and to their baby showers."
What impact do you feel like high school football has on the kids you work with?
"Being an athletic director, I think high school athletics in general just helps with the personal development of the kids. I think we need it more now than we did before, just helping the young boys become young men and make better decisions in their lives, knowing some of them don't have fathers at home to kind of look to and coaches being surrogate fathers. We want to try to help them make the right decisions so they can move on and have a quality life as opposed to making a bad decision that could cost them dearly."
What's the biggest life lesson football has taught you, and how do you pass that lesson on to your players?
"I'm one of six children, and, at the time, I don't think my dad could afford to send me to college. Investing in football got me a scholarship. The degrees and stuff helped me get the jobs that I have. So in the long run, football kind of helped jumpstart my career. It also helps you deal with people and deal with situations. You've got to deal with disappointment and loss, things that are also going to happen in life. Football helps with your decision-making, mental health. You don't feel like it's the end of the world when something bad in your life happens. You kind of understand that it's just a part of life and you move on."
What advice would you give to newer coaches or aspiring student-athletes?
"To new coaches, be patient, because it's so different now than when I started. Always keep in mind what you're there for – you're there to develop the kids. Don't get caught up in wins and losses. Really look at the development of each kid as they move forward. And then aspiring student-athletes, take advantage of every opportunity. I tell kids every day, athletics is a privilege not a right."
What does it mean to you to be named a Commanders Coach of the Week?
"It means a lot. I coach against a lot of the top coaches in the area, and I know there are so many coaches deserving of the honor, so it's really special to me just to be thought of as a good coach and being selected for Coach of the Week."
